Shootin' the Hooch

I love the beginnings of Summer.

It's hot and my pale skin soaks up every last drop of sunshine, everyone wants to play outside late into the evening, and we spend every moment possible on the lake and in the river.

If you live in or around Atlanta, Shootin' the Hooch in your kayak or on inflatable tubes is an event that you must participate in at some point to escape the Georgia heat. It is something I have done every summer for as long as I can remember and each trip is just as enjoyable.

You can head North and rent $3 tubes in Helen and float through the German inspired town meandering by bars and restaurants to be picked up by a shuttle bus at the end. The river is cleaner up North but also very shallow. If you head this way remember river shoes because you will ground yourself at some point or another. Which may mean you get left behind - never on purpose of course!

The other option is to stay South, bring your own tubes and coolers, and hop in the river to float through Roswell, the Vinings, and Buckhead. Make sure to get extra thick tubes just in case.

Going this route you will pass under 285 and see a different part of the madness of city life.

And realize it really is possible to get away right in the middle of it all. 

If you choose to kayak and want a longer paddle through town make sure to put in farther up stream where the river is deeper. We have decided to float from these points and it is slow moving without oars.  Check out the float times from each of the drop in locations, you can leave a car for the day for $3 at both the drop off/in spots. 

But on a beautiful day with friends and drinks in tow (literally) there is no better, almost FREE summer activity.   

 If you do take longer than a 3 hour trek, just remember this is Georgia in the Summer and there's a good chance that a sky like this,

 will quickly be this..

 but wait it out because that sun will be back and hopefully the rain will get that river moving.

ibiza.

When my friend Simon found out I would be traveling through Spain, he told me about this magical little island off the coast. He is a British expat and rambled on about the ridiculous beaches and parties that never stopped. When he began to beg me to bring him along on, I knew then that I had to find my way to Ibiza. 

For lack of a better analogy, Ibiza is Las Vegas to the nth degree – minus the gambling and with the addition of day long beach parties, clubs that hold over 10,000 party goers, and just the small fact that you are on a beach paradise with yachts endlessly drifting by. 

Ibiza is located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 miles off the coast of Valencia but don’t be fooled – there is nothing here that will remind you of Spain. No Catalan language to remember and no cultural experiences that I will tell you are not to miss. If it is culture you are looking for, you are about to get a crash course in club culture. And that is just the reason you come.  

Hotels will begin to open by April and the end of May will mark the beginning of the club openings as Ibiza is filled with British 20-somethings frolicking about on their holidays from school. They come in droves to sell club tickets and party their days away on a never-ending spring break.  

I will admit that I partied to more house music than I care to admit, in the biggest club in the world, for days on end. But, this was long before the EDM culture took root in the youth of America, when you had to venture to the streets of Europe to find Tiesto as a house DJ in Privilege or Swedish House Mafia every Monday night - so can I get some credit? 

We took Easy Jet from Madrid with two bachelor parties and passengers drinking and partying on the plane – so I knew this was going to be good. We arrived at 10pm and the sun was still up and brutally hot because in Ibiza it doesn’t matter what time or day you go. The summer is a perpetual Saturday night and the weekends linger for days. 

There are two main town centers to stay, San Antonio on the west end and Ibiza Town on the southern shore. San Antonio hosts restaurants, bars, and the “Sunset Strip” that founded party life in Ibiza with Es Paradis, Ocean Beach, and Eden Ibiza. 

•  Walk the strip early to catch great drink specials at Linerks before heading to the clubs where drink prices are as ridiculous as the atmosphere. Employees will be handing out wristbands for free entry before a certain time or free shots to get you in. You can walk the Sunset Strip and never spend a dime.     

             

• Walk to the tip of the island to enjoy sundowners at Cafe del Mar and experience the most beautiful sunset in the world. Honestly, this one will stick with you. Classical music is played from the mountains as the sun slowly dips its feet into the ocean and the beach packs with sun worshipers and night revelers alike.

• If you want to move your party to a boat, check out Pukka Up Boat Party boat parties which are the best on the West End and come with an entry ticket to a club (because in Ibiza everything does).  

• This is an island where there is always a party happening. During the day check out the endless pool parties and beach clubs with favorites being: Santos Ibiza, Bora Bora Ibiza, Blue Marlin Ibiza . You have to come back with a tan from your holiday!

Ibiza Town on the southern shore is home to the port of Eivissa in Ibiza Town will host the grandest yachts from across the world filled with celebrities or royalty that come to party at Pacha Ibiza located in Ibiza Town or any of the massive clubs found in the island’s interior which can’t be missed.

The best way to get around is to take the Disco Bus from  San Antonio or Ibiza Town or between clubs (if you are having one of those nights!) It is 3 euros each way and runs through the night. It is busy, rowdy, and you will think you are already inside so prepare yourself. 

Club tickets for Privilege, Space Ibiza, and Amnesia Ibiza float around 60 euros so if your budget is tight, walk down the strip earlier in the day to score free wristbands for early entry or drink deals. There’s no better way to party at Privilege Ibiza, the biggest club in the world, than with a free entry. It is worth it to make it to these clubs - if you can remember all of this madness. My first summer to Ibiza, Tiesto was the house DJ and played tracks from a floating DJ booth in the club’s indoor pool with 10,000 guests dancing with me. And you just don’t do get to say that twice. 

What a (jet) DRAG

Earlier this week I made my way out to the airport where I so often find myself but didn’t board a plane for a quick trip into the sky. Instead I kept my feet planted firmly on the ground and did my part to drag a Boeing 757 at Tech Ops in the name of cancer research.

Teams of Delta employees, family +friends, and cancer survivors had arrived from around the country to Atlanta for the 5^th annual Jet Drag competition. 

My mother, the event planner of all things FUN had the team to beat. “Hope on a Rope” had won the last place trophy three years running and weren’t about to be stopped now!

Groups of executives, ramp rats, or those extra cute little “Hope on a Rope” flight attendants pulled the jet 20 feet out of the hangar in a race of speed. Groups cheered, dressed up in matching outfits, and enjoyed grits, bar-b-que, and a live band all afternoon.

 The event had an amazing turnout and raised $1.3 million dollar for the American Cancer Society. I am so proud of my mother, her hard-work, and all of the teams that participated. The fastest time was a male group from Salt Lake City that pulled in an impressive 8.15 seconds.

We never stood a chance...

We will be doing it again next year so if you have any interest in jet draggin' for a good cause - let me know! 

Shakin' my knees

Despite a rainy start, Shaky Knees ended in Atlanta on Sunday with the best line up of the weekend and the summer sunshine. It was a beautiful way to go out.

Shaky Knees brought great acts in for the weekend: Modest Mouse, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The National, Alabama Shakes, Cage the Elephant, Local Natives, Wild Belle, The Lone Bellow, Violent Femmes, Blitzen Trapper, Deer Tick, Mason Jennings, Man Man, Dawes and more.

It also had great shows for late night sets played around town. Man Man at the Earl on Friday and Spoon at Center Stage, Lord Huron at Terminal West, and The Lone Bellow at Vinyl on Saturday night. It was easy to jump around town to see your favorite acts in an intimate setting and overall a fantastic weekend for music in Atlanta. It inspired us to get serious about #thefamilyband and I am going home and picking up my mandolin everyday again... or trying to.

Shaky Knees was moved from Masquerade Music Park to Atlantic Station this year. Since Friday was a constant downpour of rain (because when is it not raining during festival weeks in Atlanta?), the concrete blessed us with a lack of mud and thanks to a friend that lives in Atlantic Station we had a rain delay hideout/crash pad/grub joint/free parking spot and beer all weekend long.

But it was a parking lot in the middle of the city. And while these views are hard to hate on too much...

I missed the festival feel of open fields and dirt and grim. Yes, I am going to complain about the lack of grim. When the sun shown down on the parking lot on Sunday, we began to FRY. (P.S. I loved every moment of the heat and still didn't get tan lines) but needed to shade my pale companions - in the shadeless parking lot.

Looking extra overheated a trip to Target made all right again in the world of the music festival and that is what Shaky Knees was in an summary. A parking lot that saved you in the rain and tore you up in the sun. But either way there was a restaurant, clothing store, or friend's house within minutes walk away. Maybe it did have it's benefits after all.

and the music more than made up for it. Shows were great, the atmosphere was perfect, and have I thanked you for the lack of EDM acts? Because that was wonderful.

You will see us next year Shaky Knees.

Birthday projects for the Edisto trip!

There is nothing quite like the South. The accents, sweet tea, preppy outfits, college game days, and sweet cold iced tea are the characteristics that always get mentioned; but there is one other factor that every Southern knows to be true and will tell you about where that person came from.

 

The beach trip.

I grew up in Montana but still each summer we would venture South, pile the family in the car, and spend a few weeks on the beach. Every family has their own destination, many people head to their condos in Hilton Head where they tennis at the club and lunch with friends. Others will head farther North to experience Myrtle Beach or the Outer Banks. For us, the South Carolina coast beckoned and we would head right outside the beautiful city of Charleston to Edisto Island.

My childhood vacations were spent here with 11 other cousins sharing bunk beds and boogie boards. This place holds a special place for all of us. Where we learned to swim and search for sharks teeth, when we would take off on our bikes, and duke it out over who would take home the sacred sand castle contest trophy for the season. Some days we would take a sun hiatus play in the marshes.

 

Or travel to Charleston and shop at the slave markets and stop for seafood on the road side shops with as much history and character as delicious food they serve. 

So when it was time to celebrate my Mother's birthday, there was only one place for us all to meet to spend a relaxing and tipsy four days in our home away from home.

But before there can be a party, there must always be DIY birthday projects.

And I am not sure which I enjoy more. Birthday hats and props are always high on the list of necessities for my mother and I when planning a party. We love silly photos and tipsy photo-ops so I knew I needed just the riiiight hat for the job.

Using an old hat top hat from last Christmas, I removed the holly and snowflakes and set to work rolling and gluing and cutting strips of scrapbook paper. I cut 12X12 scrap book paper into fours for longer candles and into six strips for smaller candles. Or what would become the candles.

Roll each and glue the ends, cut out "flames" to attach inside, and glued each on to the top hot. 

I am a bit obsessed with photo booths at the moment (and every moment) and have large frames that we pose in during all of our parties. Since I couldn't transport those to the beach I decided it was time for more photo booth supplies. 

DIY Photo Booth Props

1. Pick out hats, glasses, and any other fun accesories you like and expand to the desired size and print. 

2. Use an old cardboard box, cut flat, and glue or mod podge all of the props on the box.

3. Cut out the pieces and use an exacto knife to cut out the eyes, etc.

4. Use Popsicle sticks to glue on the backs or pierce through the middle of the cardboard.

5. Then use poor Frank for your model

 

6. Put for all to enjoy!

I use these more often then I would like to admit...